Reflecting God for Saturday, July 4, 2009--Independence Day

Question of the day:
What experiences of love have set you free?

Today’s Question
What are you thankful for today?

SCRIPTURE READING: 2 Samuel 19:24-30
24-25 Next Mephibosheth grandson of Saul arrived from Jerusalem to welcome the king. He hadn't combed his hair or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safe and sound. The king said, "And why didn't you come with me, Mephibosheth?"

26-28 "My master the king," he said, "my servant betrayed me. I told him to saddle my donkey so I could ride it and go with the king, for, as you know, I am lame. And then he lied to you about me. But my master the king has been like one of God's angels: he knew what was right and did it. Wasn't everyone in my father's house doomed? But you took me in and gave me a place at your table. What more could I ever expect or ask?"

29 "That's enough," said the king. "Say no more. Here's my decision: You and Ziba divide the property between you."

30 Mephibosheth said, "Oh, let him have it all! All I care about is that my master the king is home safe and sound!" (The Message)

KEY VERSE: "All of my grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death . . . but you gave your servant a place among those who sat at your table" (2 Sam. 19:28).

Humbled Excuse
David had enough to do without having to take time to sort out a dispute between Mephibosheth and Ziba. A brief recount of events explains the situation.
1. Absalom, David's son, who had led a rebellion against his father, is dead.
2. When fleeing from his son, David encountered Ziba, who lavished provisions on the king and his men. He also explained that the reason Mephibosheth had remained in Jerusalem was he thought he might recapture the throne.
3. Now upon his return to Jerusalem, David is met by Mephibosheth, who makes a humble excuse of why he didn't go with David. However, Mephibosheth now blames Ziba for his decision.
4. When Ziba had placed Mephibosheth in bad light, David had said the possessions of Mephibosheth would go to Ziba. After listening to another side of the story, David made another decision. He would simply give each of them 50 percent of what he had previously designated for Mephibosheth.
Do you sense a bit of exasperation in the spirit of King David? Would not such be justified? Do we exasperate people by our actions? How much better to be a problem-solver than a problem-maker! We have the choice. Which will we be?
-Jerald Johnson

SING TO THE LORD
O knit my thankful heart to Thee And reign without a rival there.
"Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" by Paul Gerhardt

REACH OUT IN PRAYER
Developing Christian leaders in Cameroon.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
All problems are relative (Gordon T. Olsen).

SECOND THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The Tears of the Father
The father in the story of the prodigal son suffered much. He saw his younger son leave, knowing the disappointments, rejections and abuses facing him. He saw his older son become angry and bitter, and was unable to offer him affection and support. A large part of the father's life has been waiting. He could not force his younger son to come home or his older son to let go of his resentments. Only they themselves could take the initiative to return.
During these long years of waiting the father cried many tears and died many deaths. He was emptied out by suffering. But that emptiness had created a place of welcome for his sons when the time of their return came. We are called to become like that father.--Henri J. M. Nouwen

THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Hosea 8-10

Altars for Sinning

1-3 "Blow the trumpet! Sound the alarm! Vultures are circling over God's people
Who have broken my covenant
and defied my revelation.
Predictably, Israel cries out, 'My God! We know you!'
But they don't act like it.
Israel will have nothing to do with what's good,
and now the enemy is after them.
4-10"They crown kings, but without asking me.
They set up princes but don't let me in on it.
Instead, they make idols, using silver and gold,
idols that will be their ruin.
Throw that gold calf-god on the trash heap, Samaria!
I'm seething with anger against that rubbish!
How long before they shape up?
And they're Israelites!
A sculptor made that thing—
it's not God.
That Samaritan calf
will be broken to bits.
Look at them! Planting wind-seeds,
they'll harvest tornadoes.
Wheat with no head
produces no flour.
And even if it did,
strangers would gulp it down.
Israel is swallowed up and spit out.
Among the pagans they're a piece of junk.
They trotted off to Assyria:
Why, even wild donkeys stick to their own kind,
but donkey-Ephraim goes out and pays to get lovers.
Now, because of their whoring life among the pagans,
I'm going to gather them together and confront them.
They're going to reap the consequences soon,
feel what it's like to be oppressed by the big king.

11-14"Ephraim has built a lot of altars,
and then uses them for sinning.
Can you believe it? Altars for sinning!
I write out my revelation for them in detail
and they pretend they can't read it.
They offer sacrifices to me
and then they feast on the meat.
God is not pleased!
I'm fed up—I'll keep remembering their guilt.
I'll punish their sins
and send them back to Egypt.
Israel has forgotten his Maker
and gotten busy making palaces.
Judah has gone in for a lot of fortress cities.
I'm sending fire on their cities
to burn down their fortifications."
Starved for God

1-6 Don't waste your life in wild orgies, Israel. Don't party away your life with the heathen.
You walk away from your God at the drop of a hat
and like a whore sell yourself promiscuously
at every sex-and-religion party on the street.
All that party food won't fill you up.
You'll end up hungrier than ever.
At this rate you'll not last long in God's land:
Some of you are going to end up bankrupt in Egypt.
Some of you will be disillusioned in Assyria.
As refugees in Egypt and Assyria,
you won't have much chance to worship God—
Sentenced to rations of bread and water,
and your souls polluted by the spirit-dirty air.
You'll be starved for God,
exiled from God's own country.
Will you be homesick for the old Holy Days?
Will you miss festival worship of God?
Be warned! When you escape from the frying pan of disaster,
you'll fall into the fire of Egypt.
Egypt will give you a fine funeral!
What use will all your god-inspired silver be then
as you eke out a living in a field of weeds?
7-9 Time's up. Doom's at the doorstep.
It's payday!
Did Israel bluster, "The prophet is crazy!
The 'man of the Spirit' is nuts!"?
Think again. Because of your great guilt,
you're in big trouble.
The prophet is looking out for Ephraim,
working under God's orders.
But everyone is trying to trip him up.
He's hated right in God's house, of all places.
The people are going from bad to worse,
rivaling that ancient and unspeakable crime at Gibeah.
God's keeping track of their guilt.
He'll make them pay for their sins.

They Took to Sin Like a Pig to Filth

10-13 "Long ago when I came upon Israel,
it was like finding grapes out in the desert.
When I found your ancestors, it was like finding
a fig tree bearing fruit for the first time.
But when they arrived at Baal-peor, that pagan shrine,
they took to sin like a pig to filth,
wallowing in the mud with their newfound friends.
Ephraim is fickle and scattered, like a flock of blackbirds,
their beauty dissipated in confusion and clamor,
Frenetic and noisy, frigid and barren,
and nothing to show for it—neither conception nor childbirth.
Even if they did give birth, I'd declare them
unfit parents and take away their children!
Yes indeed—a black day for them
when I turn my back and walk off!
I see Ephraim letting his children run wild.
He might just as well take them and kill them outright!"
14Give it to them, God! But what?
Give them a dried-up womb and shriveled breasts.

15-16"All their evil came out into the open
at the pagan shrine at Gilgal. Oh, how I hated them there!
Because of their evil practices,
I'll kick them off my land.
I'm wasting no more love on them.
Their leaders are a bunch of rebellious adolescents.
Ephraim is hit hard—
roots withered, no more fruit.
Even if by some miracle they had children,
the dear babies wouldn't live—I'd make sure of that!"

17My God has washed his hands of them.
They wouldn't listen.
They're doomed to be wanderers,
vagabonds among the godless nations.
You Thought You Could Do It All on Your Own

1-2 Israel was once a lush vine, bountiful in grapes.
The more lavish the harvest,
the more promiscuous the worship.
The more money they got,
the more they squandered on gods-in-their-own-image.
Their sweet smiles are sheer lies.
They're guilty as sin.
God will smash their worship shrines,
pulverize their god-images.
3-4They go around saying,
"Who needs a king?
We couldn't care less about God,
so why bother with a king?
What difference would he make?"
They talk big,
lie through their teeth,
make deals.
But their high-sounding words
turn out to be empty words, litter in the gutters.

5-6The people of Samaria travel over to Crime City
to worship the golden calf-god.
They go all out, prancing and hollering,
taken in by their showmen priests.
They act so important around the calf-god,
but are oblivious to the sham, the shame.
They have plans to take it to Assyria,
present it as a gift to the great king.
And so Ephraim makes a fool of himself,
disgraces Israel with his stupid idols.

7-8Samaria is history. Its king
is a dead branch floating down the river.
Israel's favorite sin centers
will all be torn down.
Thistles and crabgrass
will decorate their ruined altars.
Then they'll say to the mountains, "Bury us!"
and to the hills, "Fall on us!"

9-10You got your start in sin at Gibeah—
that ancient, unspeakable, shocking sin—
And you've been at it ever since.
And Gibeah will mark the end of it
in a war to end all the sinning.
I'll come to teach them a lesson.
Nations will gang up on them,
Making them learn the hard way
the sum of Gibeah plus Gibeah.

11-15Ephraim was a trained heifer
that loved to thresh.
Passing by and seeing her strong, sleek neck,
I wanted to harness Ephraim,
Put Ephraim to work in the fields—
Judah plowing, Jacob harrowing:
Sow righteousness,
reap love.
It's time to till the ready earth,
it's time to dig in with God,
Until he arrives
with righteousness ripe for harvest.
But instead you plowed wicked ways,
reaped a crop of evil and ate a salad of lies.
You thought you could do it all on your own,
flush with weapons and manpower.
But the volcano of war will erupt among your people.
All your defense posts will be leveled
As viciously as king Shalman
leveled the town of Beth-arba,
When mothers and their babies
were smashed on the rocks.
That's what's ahead for you, you so-called people of God,
because of your off-the-charts evil.
Some morning you're going to wake up
and find Israel, king and kingdom, a blank—nothing. (The Message)

All Scripture quotations not otherwise designated are from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

All hymn texts are taken from the hymnal Sing to the Lord. Copyright © 1993 by Lillenas Publishing Company.

Copyright © 2009 by WordAction Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Http://www.WordAction.com

Personal Application:
“’Declare it all’ advised the desert fathers, those radical early Christians….Declare it all—every thought, every feeling, every cruel intention, every ignoble desire and holy aspiration. Don’t be afraid to present anything to God…[whose] comprehending, compassionate love knows how to heal your distempers.” (Morris, Provocative Grace) Declare independence from pride by “declaring it all” to God. Get any help you need from a therapist or pastor.
Family Activity:
Read James 4:10: "So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet." (The Message). Winning a prize or an award can cause a person to feel very proud. Invite each family member to bring something that symbolizes an accomplishment he or she has achieved. Ask family members to share how they earned their awards and how they felt afterwards. Ask what God’s role was in the process of having achieved each goal. Discuss differences between pride and humility. How does confidence fit in? How can we feel good about reaching goals while embodying a spirit of humility? Ask each family member to set a new, personal goal of some kind. Discuss how we can focus on Christ while working toward a goal. As individuals reach their goals, pray for humility and praise God for each success.
Prayer: O God, you call us to trust you and your plan for our lives. Help us put aside our own prideful planning to seek your will and your wisdom, giving ourselves completely to you so you may be glorified in every aspect of our lives. Amen.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

LECTIONARY COMMENTARY

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Sherman H. Cox, II, Guest Lectionary Commentator
Director, SoulPreaching.Com

Lection – Galatians 5:1-13 (New Revised Standard Version)
(v. 1) For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (v. 2) Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. (v. 3) Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. (v. 4) You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. (v. 5) For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. (v. 6) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love. (v. 7) You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth? (v. 8) Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. (v. 9) A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. (v. 10) I am confident about you in the Lord that you will not think otherwise. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty. (v. 11) But my friends, why am I still being persecuted if I am still preaching circumcision? In that case the offence of the cross has been removed. (v. 12) I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves! (v. 13) For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.

I. Description of the Liturgical Moment

Every Independence Day citizens of the United States commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and celebrate the freedoms described in the founding document. With noble and lofty language, the document opens:

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to
assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which
the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and
to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect
their safety and happiness.

A crucial historical point not to be missed is that the signers of the Declaration anticipated and enunciated language about such a great freedom even though the people of the New World were yet locked in armed struggle against the British for the independence the Declaration so boldly declared. In fact, it was not until 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, that the Revolutionary War officially ended and American freedom became a political reality. Although African Americans and other oppressed groups, such as Native Americans, had to wait to experience even the most basic of freedoms enjoyed by the writers of the Declaration and the signers of the Treaty, the Declaration nonetheless gives witness to a profound truth which even the likes of Harriet Tubman understood. That is, freedom must first be claimed in one’s heart and mind before it can be made materially real and, this point makes for an interesting question regarding freedom -- is freedom attained at the moment one has decided to be free and has claimed the freedom one intends to pursue through actions? Or is freedom only attained at the point at which one has actually won the struggle against subjugation?

At what point does subjugation cease? Which is essentially to ask if it is a physical or psychological reality? And, on this question, it would be interesting to explore the position held by Jesus and the Apostle Paul.


II. Biblical Interpretation for Preaching and Worship: Galatians 5: 1-13

Part One: The Contemporary Context of the Interpreter
I began elementary school in 1976, the year of the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Although it is now more than thirty years later, I remember quite well the year-long celebrations of independence and freedom meant to elicit patriotic fervor among the citizenry. Over time, however, I began to think that in various ways some of our abuses of freedom needed to be restrained. It seemed to me that the “freedom of me,” the mentality of the self-centered person with free will looking out for “number one” without regard for others, has been the principal cause of damage to our families, communities, and nation, and, not least, to the Kingdom of God.

Although my American upbringing has taught me to appreciate the freedoms I enjoy, modernly, it seems to me that there is hardly any emphasis placed on the responsibilities that go along with these freedoms. The responsibility that accompanies our individual and collective freedoms can in fact be deduced from the familiar Declaration passage: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Read in the light of the biblical Kingdom of God idea and, specifically the mandate to love one’s neighbor as oneself, the Declaration might very well be interpreted as saying that the “freedom of me” does not and cannot override the “freedom of us.” Just as the heavenly Creator is “our Father” and not alone “my Father,” so are all people equal. So are all people endowed with inalienable rights. So have all people the right to life; and we now understand that life is a collective rather than individual reality. There is a delicate balance at play in the ecosystem of which humanity and all living things are a part; and in one way or another, abuses of freedom inevitably upset this delicate balance.


Part Two: Biblical Commentary

Our selected biblical passage delineates the titanic struggle between slavery and freedom in the life of the Christian believer. Jesus has given us the gift of freedom, as well as an understanding of its requirements; yet, in the pursuit of freedom, we often choose opposing ways that land us or keep us in bondage. Some of the Gentile believers whom Paul had taught attempted to gain the freedom of Christ by practicing circumcision. On the one hand, Paul chastises them, saying that the practice of circumcision came under the old law which would not bring them ultimate freedom through Christ. On the other hand, he explains that neither circumcision nor non-circumcision really matters in light of the ultimate criteria for freedom. What matters, ultimately, he says, is that through the mechanism of love faith manifests itself in works.

Paul also promotes an ethic for Christ-freed people. All who are truly made free, he says, should use their freedom, not as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but for communal uplifting. Used correctly, freedom should serve the good of others, as through love believers become slaves to one another. This is a crucial point to focus on in our day and age, for there are many enticing and misguided notions of freedom being marketed and circulated among us, and those notions are essentially destructive of true freedom.

The Apostle says in our scriptural passage, “You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth? Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.” We were running well. Who led us astray as to the true meaning of freedom, and by what means were we led astray? Advertisers—they have used tantalizing images to bewitch us into thinking that freedom entails unrestrained consumerism and conspicuous consumption. Profiteers—this mix of rich men, politicians and lobbyists have used their wealth to horde more and more for themselves while putting in place laws that shelter the rich and create an ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Religion—some people in the religious community promote a gospel of prosperity, which has much to do with materialism and little if anything to do with true freedom.

In stark contrast, Paul reminds us that freedom comes through Jesus Christ and carries with it a social and specifically communal responsibility. This is the only freedom we can count on to make us truly free, just as there is only one love that makes true freedom mandatory as a matter of integrity. Economic freedom has not made us free, other than superficially. Political freedom has not made us free, other than superficially. All of these forms of so-called freedom can only gain substance and come to fruition by means of a communal freedom wherein there is a recognition and respect for the fact that “all people are created equal” and are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” This Independence Day we celebrate equality of persons, those who have fought and died to gain and maintain this independence and the Creator who endows all of creation with the desire for independence.

Celebration

We may have gotten sidetracked in our Christian walk—enticed and misguided, in part from being miseducated. We may have bought into one or another lie promising freedom, yet keeping us in bondage. The good news is, however, freedom is still at hand and available. Indeed, freedom calls: “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.” It is quite often an honor and privilege to be called to something—called to ministry, called to a life of healing, called to teaching, called to parenthood. A calling of this kind is not simply a matter of choice; it is a summons of great importance, leading to action of great significance. To be called to freedom, then—what a grand and magnificent moment!

Descriptive Details

The descriptive details in this passage include:

Sights: Persons standing firm and not submitting again to a yoke of slavery (v. 1). Persons running well; “Standing firm” and “running well”—these two images especially remind us that freedom comes at the price of unyielding conviction and the exertion of great effort. “A little yeast leavening the whole batch of dough” (v. 9)—this reminds us that this seemingly small matter has huge consequences; and

Sounds: The urgency of the matter of freedom resounds in this passage, starting with the exclamation of Paul, “Listen!”— “Listen! I, Paul, am telling you…” (v. 2). Urgency is also conveyed in Paul’s emphasis on the fact that he is repeating himself— “Once again I testify to every man…” (v. 3).